It is very common for people to carry mobile phones and other like communication apparatus such as pagers etc clipped to their belt. The most common method of clipping a mobile phone to ones belt is by inserting the phone into a protective case which has a rigid spring operated clip attached thereto. Other methods use rigid clips which are actually attached or integral to the phone itself.
These methods of clipping mobile phones to belts have the disadvantage that as the clips are rigidly connected to the phone or protective case, the phone can be inadvertently dislodged from the belt due to the movement of the person, sitting down, walking, etc. as the phone can be knocked or rotated by the person's leg. There is also the disadvantage that the use of such clips can cause discomfort as the phone is rigidly set against the person's waist.
Another form of attachment device for a mobile phone is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,597,102. This specification describes a device being the combination of a circular flanged lug attached to the back of a phone, the lug being received within a slotted receptacle whereby the flanges of the lug are held within the receptacle while the neck of the lug extends through the slot. The circular flanged lug is slid into an opening of the receptacle which is clipped to a person's belt. The lug is supposedly captured within the receptacle by a spring loaded projection acting on the lug, and is able to rotate whilst captured. This ability to rotate overcomes the disadvantages with regard to the fixed clip of the above described prior art but introduces a problem of the phone being inadvertently dislodged by the rotational forces applied to the phone while it is being carried in this manner. It has been found that the device as described in the specification allows the phone to be easily dislodged as the rotational movement which was the object of that invention introduces forces which move the phone within the receptacle which allows the rotational movement thereof.
Therefore it is desirous that for an attachment device be provided which allows rotational motion of the phone and which overcomes the problem associated with the aforedescribed device by preventing inadvertent dislodgement of the phone from the person's body. It is also desirable for the provision of a stop means which can lock the phone into a number of different orientations preventing the free rotational movement thereof.